Mt. Pleasant Halloween parade entry depicts VP Harris tied to golf cart; fire department apologizes

A Halloween parade display in Westmoreland County depicting Vice President Kamala Harris handcuffed and leashed to the back of a golf cart drew outrage from bystanders and the Pittsburgh branch of the NAACP, which denounced it as a symbol of racism and hatred.

“It had no place in any parade of any kind in this country,” said Diane Bailey, mayor of Mt. Pleasant Borough, where the parade took place Wednesday night.

Daylon Davis, president of the local NAACP chapter, said the parade entry goes beyond Halloween satire or free expression but rather was a harmful symbol of the history of racism in the country.

“In allowing this display, the organizers have sent a troubling message that demeans and dehumanizes Black and Brown individuals,” he said in a statement. “This kind of imagery reinforces a dangerous narrative, implicitly suggesting that Black individuals belong in chains. Such a display has no place in our society today or any community that values inclusivity, respect and human dignity.”

Bailey said the entry in the annual parade was disturbing and upsetting. She attended the event and said Thursday she had received numerous complaints from residents and officials who were appalled.

The parade was organized by the Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department. Held the night before Halloween on Main Street in the community of 4,250, there were all the typical entries — fire trucks, Boy Scouts, high school football players and dance groups.

In a statement released Thursday evening, the fire department apologized, calling it a “first-come, first-served event” for which they typically only provide safety and traffic control.

“We do not share in the values represented by those participants, and we understand how it may have hurt or offended members of our community,” the statement said. “We’re proud to have sponsored this parade for over 70 years, and its goal has always been to support our community’s children.

“We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that our future events celebrate the diversity and spirit of our community in a positive way.”

The statement said the department plans to review its planning processes to prevent a repeat of the situation.

A Harris campaign spokesperson said she was not aware of the nature of the parade entry and offered no immediate comment. The Trump campaign did not return a message seeking comment.

Photos of the display posted on social media showed what looked like a long gun sitting on a tripod on top of the roof of a golf cart. Two people were standing in the back of the golf cart, one of whom was dressed as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. A sign in support of the former president hung on the front of the cart.

People wearing dark suits and sunglasses walked next to the cart, presumably costumed as Secret Service agents. Behind the cart was a person wearing a red pantsuit, who appeared to be depicting Harris, the Democratic candidate for president.

That person was handcuffed and tied to the back of the cart by a chain or rope.

“When I first saw it, I was kind of confused,” Mayor Bailey said. “It took me maybe another 30 seconds or more to think, ‘Holy crap, that was supposed to be Harris behind the golf cart.’”

Borough resident Josh Huff said when he first saw the display, he chalked it up to the contentious presidential election. But then he saw what appeared to be someone portraying Harris behind the golf cart.

“I couldn’t believe this was allowed to come down the main street of my town,” he said, describing it as a “shocking display of hate.”

Huff said some parade-goers around him appeared to be shocked, while others yelled in support of the display.

“This is too much. That should definitely not be in a children’s parade,” he said.

Less than 2% of the Mt. Pleasant population is Black, according to the 2020 Census.

Westmoreland County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Michelle McFall called the entry a disgrace and questioned how the group got into the event.

“Regardless of who was in charge … it is a job of an organization to responsibly vet an entry, and, at the least, this is a profound disappointment,” she said. “At the most, it is an absolute failure by the organization to act in good faith at a community event.

“This evokes the kind of hatred and violence in this particular culture that we’re all pushing back against,” she added. “This is not cooling things down.”

Children participating in or attending a community event should not be exposed to such a display, she said.

“A community parade should not be politicized,” she said.

McFall is trying to get more information about the situation.

Mt. Pleasant Borough is not far from where a former Democratic candidate for Westmoreland County commissioner was attacked on Election Day in 2021. Lisa Gephart was campaigning at a polling place in East Huntingdon when she confronted a man who was shouting an expletive-laden rant against President Joe Biden, according to court records.

Huff said he left his hometown after college and returned about nine years ago.

“This isn’t the community that I was raised in,” he said.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression had not been contacted about the parade matter, but director of public advocacy Aaron Terr said parades and costumes receive First Amendment protection because they are expressive.

“Our concern would be if the government sought to punish anyone involved in a privately organized parade simply because it caused offense,” he said. “Others are always free to exercise their own First Amendment rights to criticize costumes or parade entries they think are inappropriate or divisive.”

The NAACP encouraged organizers and local leaders to set clearer guidelines to prevent similar displays in the future.

“We also ask that they offer an apology and make a public commitment to anti-racist values that affirm the dignity and equality of all people,” Davis said.

Bailey said she planned to meet with council and city officials to see if there’s anything the borough can do to try to prevent similar displays in future events.

“It’s not welcome in Mt. Pleasant,” she said. “I would like to think that we have a community that sets moral standards higher.”